TORONTO — Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello said his first thoughts were of the people who helped him reach the Hockey Hall of Fame he enters here tonight.

“It’s a flashback, of how fortunate I am to be surrounded by and associated with so many quality people. The unfortunate thing is the recognition is deserved by all of them, yet one person gets it,” Lamoriello said. “That’s what my reaction was initially, other than not expecting it, not thinking about it. It wasn’t on my mind. There are some things you expect, but I didn’t even know they were selecting at that time.

“One of the disciplines I think I have, I try to stay away from those types of thoughts so it doesn’t ever distract from what has to be done. If something is to happen, it will happen without putting your thoughts into it. It’s something I preach to my children and to the players, that the end result takes care of itself. Do what you have control of and don’t expect anything.”

He admits that he may turn a little red tonight.

“I don’t want to use the word sheepish, but if you want to use the term a little embarrassed. . . . not embarrassed to be there, but there are a lot of people that are responsible,” Lamoriello said. “You feel good, but you never lose sight of how important your teammate is, you co-worker. Look at the Cups we’ve won, some of the names that appear on them, secretary, doctor, that’s a reflection of the thought process.”

Lamoriello, 67, has run the Devils for 22 years, the longest one-team tenure in the NHL. He says in tough times, he often reflects on his luck.

“I think of how fortunate I am to have three children, how proud they’ve made me of them, the things they’ve done and how they’ve done them, and I feel like the luckiest person in the world,” Lamoriello said. “Now I have grandchildren. A hat trick, three girls.

Lamoriello said he never worried about leaving Providence, where he had become a firm fixture.

“Never look back. And I never would have, because I made the decision with the knowledge I had,” Lamoriello said. “You look and see if you should have done more homework or other things, but you never look back.

“I’ve lived it all my life and I believe in it. I coached that way, I played that way, I manage that way. That’s the way I am.”

He says he hasn’t changed his tenets, though the game and business are different than they were in 1987.

“The job always changes because the times change, and you have to adjust. But I don’t believe you ever change what the principles are, of integrity and honesty. I don’t think that ever changes. Those two words preface everything that’s done,” Lamoriello said.

The general manager was offered one thing to change about the NHL, without a veto, and he hardly hesitated.

“The schedule. Back to where it was with the divisional play,” Lamoriello said, referring to the eight times the Devils would face the Rangers, Flyers, Islanders and Penguins, as opposed to six each.

Lamoriello said he was not quite Johnny Newboy when he arrived fresh from Providence College, nor did he style himself after any general manager.

“I don’t think I took note of any one individual,” Lamoriello said. “I had a little different backround than most people because I was dealing with general managers while I was at Providence, doing the contracts of the players that had played for me. I dealt with quite a few organizations. So I knew the general managers before I went into that room. I had the opportunity, while coaching in college, to look at the people, know the positives, know the negatives. But that knowledge was never a plan for then future, just there for when it was needed.

“The one general manager I had the most interaction with while I was there was [Philladelphia’s] Keith Allen. [Boston’s] Harry [Sinden] yeah, but because of the players that were drafted by Philadelphia from my teams, I had the most interaction with Keith Allen. Harry, I have tremendous respect for and he has been extremely helpful to me. Others, too. Serge Savard, Bob Pulford, Glen Sather, they were all helpful. And I was pleasantly surprised at my reception when I came in, because I did come from a different backround.

“It’s deceiving sometimes, that it was cold turkey coming in. It was never that.”

One issue that hounds the Devils is attendance, and the perception in some circles that franchise survival is the prime function of a general manager.

“Winning is what my responsibility is,” Lamoriello said. “Our attendance is growing and growing, but our attendance at the Meadowlands for several years was just fantastic. We were averaging over 17,000, 18,000. Then sales took place, moving took place, a lot of things entered in.”

Asked if the move to Newark was a success, he said, “In my opinion, yes.”

It’s been suggested that Lamoriello would prefer one bad general running an army than a committee of 10 good generals. The buck does stop with him, and no one doubts who is in charge.

“I delegate to a lot of people — who can do the job. You can’t survive otherwise,” Lamoriello said. “But there has to be a pyramid. Fortunately or unfortunately, somebody has to make the decisions. You can only have one head. That’s why I only allow the head coach to speak [to the press]. He’s in charge. His is the message coming from the coach for the team.”